Tag: Global Brief | Natural Awakenings Twin Cities

Forest Loss Leads to Spread of Human Disease

Jun 30, 2020 08:30AM

Viruses like COVID-19 that jump from animals to people will likely become more common as people continue to transform natural habitats into agricultural land, says a new study.

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Natural Thinking: Spending Time in Nature Increases Cognitive Performance

Jun 30, 2020 08:30AM

Nature may improve cognitive function by improving memory formation and recall, specifically that of short-term or working memory, and goal-oriented or directed attention.

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Healthy Glow: Ultraviolet Radiation Suppresses Skin Inflammation

Jun 30, 2020 08:30AM

In research that could help target new treatments for skin cancer, scientists have identified how human skin suppresses inflammation after exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR).

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Sweet Serenade: Music as Medicine

Jun 30, 2020 08:30AM

Listening to music for 30 minutes a day–can lower post-heart attack anxiety and significantly reduce future cardiac risks, reports a new study.

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COVID Kids: Stress Can Impact Sperm and Future Offspring

Jun 30, 2020 08:30AM

Fear and anxiety brought on by major stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic may have a lasting impact on a man’s sperm composition that could affect future offspring.

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Mindfulness and Meditation May Promote Longevity

Jun 30, 2020 08:30AM

Mindfulness and meditation techniques have been linked to anti-aging and longevity, as marked by longer telomere length, a biomarker of human aging.

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Generating Electricity from Rain

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

A high voltage can be generated from raindrops using a field-effect, transistor-style structure, reports a new study.

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Pest Alarm: Sentinel Trees Give Advance Warning

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

Countries around the world are growing “sentinel trees” in strategic locations to receive advance warnings of destructive pests that could destroy native plantings.

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Mental Relief: Mindfulness Training May Reduce Paranoia

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

Researchers have found that just one week of practicing mindfulness—moment-to-moment awareness—reduces feelings of paranoia.

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Dementia Linked to Air Pollution

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

People continuously exposed to air pollution are at increased risk of dementia, especially if they also suffer from cardiovascular diseases, reports a new study.

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Tofu Takeaway: Isoflavones Lower Risk of Heart Disease

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

Tofu and other foods containing higher amounts of isoflavones are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, especially for younger women and postmenopausal women not taking hormones.

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Australia Drought Wildfires Climate Change

Down-Under Drought: Australian Wildfires Linked to Climate Change

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

Australia’s devastating wildfires during 2019 and 2020 were at least 30 percent more likely to occur because of human-caused climate change.

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Hot Power: Heat Converted into Electricity

May 29, 2020 08:30AM

Researchers have found how the thermoelectric effect, or converting temperature differences into electricity, can be best used to power small, flexible devices.

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Passing Gas: Seaweed Lowers Cows’ Methane Emissions

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

If Australia can grow enough of the puffy, pink Asparagopsis taxiformis seaweed for every cow in the country, they could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent.

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Charging Ahead: New Batteries From Fruit Waste

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

Biowaste from durian fruit and jackfruit scraps is a possible candidate to create next generation, high-performance, yet low-cost supercapacitors for energy storage devices.

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Buzz Off: Bee Swarms Form Giant Brains

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

New research suggests that individual members of a bee swarm behave like neurons in a human brain.

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Life Perseveres: New Bird Species Found on Remote Island

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

Five new songbird species and five new subspecies have been found on a single small island near Sulawesi, Indonesia.

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Jolly Good: King of Bhutan Requests Selfless Gift

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

For his 40th birthday, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, asked his people to either plant a tree, adopt a stray animal or clean up their neighborhood in his honor.

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Financial Fix: Great Britain Coal Use Falls With Carbon Tax

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

A tax on carbon dioxide emissions in Great Britain has led to the proportion of electricity generated from coal falling from 40 percent to 3 percent over six years.

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Wild Things: Wildness a Big Factor in Urban Parks

Apr 30, 2020 08:30AM

A study finds that wildness in urban areas is profoundly important for human well-being, impacting both physical and mental health.

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Coal Costs: Closing Plants Saves Lives and Crops

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

Between 2005 and 2016, the shutdown of coal-fired plants in the U.S. saved an estimated 26,610 lives and the equivalent of around 570 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat.

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Plastics Adios: Mexicans Return to Old Ways After Ban

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

A new law bans popular plastic bags in the Mexican capital, as well as handing out plastic straws, spoons, coffee capsules and other single-use items by 2021.

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Cool Solution: Biodegradable Cooler Keeps Food Cold and Dry

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

Igloo has introduced a new, biodegradable cooler made out of paraffin wax and recycled tree pulp called Recool.

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Hot Spots: Climate Change City Index for 2050

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

Temperature changes, water shortages and rising sea levels will impact some of the world’s most populous cities during the next 30 years.

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Roundup Redux: Organic Standards Clarified for Hydroponics

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

The USDA has closed a loophole that allowed farmers to spray soil with Monsanto’s glysophate to clear weeds prior to building a “certified organics” hydroponics greenhouse.

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Nutty News: Eco-Sunscreen Made from Cashew Shells

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

A “green” sunscreen has been synthesized from discarded cashew-nut shells, providing good UVA and UVB absorbance, which can protect from harmful rays from the sun.

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Unsafe Sipping: Widespread Drinking Water Contamination Found

Mar 31, 2020 08:30AM

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found contamination of U.S. drinking water with manmade “forever chemicals” to be much worse than estimated.

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Green Flying: First Commercial E-Plane Makes History

Feb 28, 2020 08:30AM

Canada-based Harbour Air has launched the first successful test flight of an all-electric aircraft.

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Waste-to-Energy ‘Matterhorn’: Sustainable Power With a Recreational Bonus

Feb 28, 2020 08:30AM

Copenhagen has dramatically refashioned the look and function of a power station with Copenhill, a waste-to-power plant that powers homes and includes a ski slope, a climbing wall and more.

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Viva Agave: Tequila Waste Turned into Bio-Straws

Feb 28, 2020 08:30AM

Tequila maker Jose Cuervo has initiated an eco-friendly process of salvaging the leftover agave fibers from its distilling process and upcycling them into biodegradable drinking straws.

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Sunscreen Sanction: Palau Bans Chemicals to Save Reefs

Feb 28, 2020 08:30AM

Palau is the first country in the world to ban ecologically harmful sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate.

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Instant Home: 3D-Printed Buildings on the Rise

Feb 28, 2020 08:30AM

3D-printing techniques are being used for building houses with the benefits of lower costs, less waste and reduced construction time.

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Soothing Scents: Smells of Nature Lower Physiological Stress

Feb 28, 2020 08:30AM

Researchers find that natural scents can help to reduce stress.

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Clear Thinking: UNESCO Adopts Resolution on Earth Charter

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reaffirms the importance of the Earth Charter as an ethical framework for sustainable development.

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Seal Deal: Fishermen Protect Endangered Sea Mammals

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

In 1969, there were only 100 South American fur seals and sea lions along the coastline of Lima, but that has increased to more than 8,000 today, thanks to local fishermen.

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Thump Thump: Trees Exhibit ‘Heartbeat’

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

Scientists have detected a previously unknown periodic movement in trees raising and lowering their branches, similar to the pumping action of a heartbeat.

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Soot Cities: Alaska Battles Air Pollution

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

Alaska, which has some of the most pristine environments in the U.S., also has some of the worst air quality in its cities.

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Green Horizons: A Billion Trees in Eight Years

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

Toronto startup Flash Forest is using aerial drones to plant trees 10 times faster than human planters with a goal of 1 billion trees by 2028.

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Climate Check: New Label Verifies Carbon Neutral Products

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

A new Climate Neutral product label is helping consumers identify brands that practice sustainable processes.

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Water Win: Fresh H20 Comes to Kenya Town

Jan 31, 2020 08:30AM

A drought-plagued Kenyan region is using a new, solar-powered, desalination plant from the international nonprofit GivePower to obtain clean water.

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Trays Up: Air Meals May Get an Eco-Makeover

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

Each airline passenger produces about three pounds of trash per flight. British design firm PriestmanGoode has refashioned the economy meal tray, replacing plastic with renewable materials.

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Money Talks: Climate Change Increases Banks’ Financial Risks

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

Climate risks may cause home values to fall significantly; banks to stop lending to flood-prone communities; and towns to lose tax money needed to build seawalls and other protections.

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Uncowed by a Hurricane: Cattle Survive Churning Sea

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

Three cows turned up at Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina months after being swept out to sea by Hurricane Dorian.

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Gender Gap: Sea Turtles Skew Female

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

Scientists warn that as the Earth gets hotter, sea turtle hatchlings worldwide are expected to trend dangerously female, potentially ending reproduction of the species.

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Rethinking Rice: Farmers Respond to Climate Change

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

Nfamara Badjie is planning to bring the rice-growing practices of his West African ethnic group to East Coast climates through his Ever-Growing Family Farm operation.

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Time’s Up: Renewable Energy Should Speed Progress

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

The International Energy Agency predicts that renewable energy will surpass coal as the world’s leading source of electricity by 2030.

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Beach Junk: Microplastics Found in Brand-New Sand

Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM

A Hawaiian beach that was formed by lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano in 2018 is already littered with invisible pieces of tiny plastic.

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Lab Steak: Making Meat Without Animals

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

The Alliance for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation is seeking to create real meat from animal cells without the need to slaughter animals.

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Nature Cure: Forests and Shrubs Lower Medical Costs

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

Higher levels of forest and shrub cover throughout the country correspond to lower levels of Medicare health care spending.

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Charge It: Electric Vehicles Get Their Own ‘Gas’ Station

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

A Maryland gas station owner has replaced his pumps with electric vehicle chargers, making it the first such exclusive charging station in the country.

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Animal Rescue: Government Order Reduces Animal Testing

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to reduce the animal testing it has long required to gauge the toxicity of chemicals before they can be bought, sold or used in the environment.

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Heave Ho: Cruise Line Abandons Plastic Bottles

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

As a result of its partnership with Just Goods, Inc., the Norwegian Cruise Line will replace single-use plastic bottles across its fleet by January 1, 2020.

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Lung Relief: Biosolar Leaf Purifies Air in London

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

Large, solar panel-like structures on the sides of buildings are being used to grow microalgae, phytoplankton and diatoms, purifying the air while generating breathable oxygen.

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Repurposing Weeds: Pond Plants Offer Protein Strategy

Nov 27, 2019 08:30AM

Duckweed, a fast-growing plant that blooms on bodies of water, is a superior protein source relatively free of allergens or endangered by climate change.

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Golden Rules: Moms Launch Eco-Friendly Certification

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

A nonprofit has launched Moms Across America Gold Standard, a multi-tiered verification program for food, beverages and supplements that creates a simple, trustworthy resource for consumers.

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License to Plant: Gun Control in India Goes Green

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

In a northern India district, regulators require that applicants for gun licenses, in addition to normal background checks, must plant 10 trees and submit selfies as photographic evidence.

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Jaws of Life: California Bans Fur Trapping

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

California has enacted a ban on fur trapping for animal pelts, making it the first state to outlaw a centuries-old livelihood.

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Methane Matters: Fracking Linked to Global Warming

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

As methane concentrations increase in the atmosphere, evidence points to shale oil and gas as the probable source, but the EPA has taken steps to stop regulating it.

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Species Setback: EPA Weakens Protective Regulations

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

As the Endangered Species Act is being weaken, critics fear more oil and gas drilling will be allowed on land that is currently habitat-protected, impacting the climate crisis.

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Kool-Kats: Candy Wrappers Reimagined as Origami

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

KitKat chocolate bars from Nestlé's Japan confectionery branch will soon be wrapped in paper instead of plastic, with instructions for how to fashion it into the iconic origami crane.

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Polar Alert: Alaskan Sea Ice Melting Faster

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

Sea ice along northern Alaska disappeared far earlier than normal this spring, alarming coastal residents that rely on wildlife and fish.

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Healing Hazard: Health Care Sector Impacts Climate

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

A study claims that if the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet.

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Hot Habits: Phoenix Shifts to a Cooler Night Mode

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

In Phoenix, one of the hottest and fastest-warming cities in the U.S. with heat waves and triple-digit days, work and play are shifting into the cooler hours at dawn and dusk.

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Abandoned Crops: Economics Drive Farm Food Losses

Oct 31, 2019 08:30AM

According to a new study, about one-third of edible produce remains unharvested in the fields, where it rots and gets plowed under.

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Panther Power: Texas Pumas Counter Inbreeding

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

The endangered Florida panther has been saved from extinction thanks to the introduction of female Texan pumas.

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Other-Worldly Rock: Extraterrestrial Matter Found on Earth

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

A 3.3 billion-year-old layer of rock has been found in South Africa that contains two types of insoluble organic matter, suggesting extraterrestrial origins.

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Diplomatic Freeze: Conflicts Heating Up Over Arctic Reserves

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

Scientists warn that the Arctic is heating up much faster than the world average because of rising greenhouse gas emissions.

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Humanitarian Plea: Environmental Destruction Tapped as War Crime

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

A group of 24 scientists is urging that environmental destruction in conflict zones be treated as war crimes by establishing a new protocol in the Geneva Conventions.

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Tiny Scrubbers: Nanoparticles Purify Water

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

A chemical engineer who grew up in Tanzania has designed a water purification system based on nanomaterials that is being put into use throughout the country.

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Runoff Results: Gulf Dead Zone Keeps Growing

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

Agricultural fertilizer runoffs from the Midwest are resulting in an algae-choked “dead zone” the size of Massachusetts at the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Fertile Fish: Unexpected Aquatic Rebound

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

Overfished and struggling widow rockfish are returning to the Pacific coast faster than expected, thanks to legal protections.

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Mushrooming Problem: Climate Crisis May Promote Superbugs

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

A new analysis links climate change to the recent global rise of a multidrug-resistant fungal superbug, Candida auris.

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Superfund Success Story: Toxic Site Now Welcomes Walkers

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

A 47-acre contaminated Superfund site in Bellingham, Washington, has been cleaned up and now holds restored wetlands, walking paths, new trees and returning bird life.

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Melted Memorial: Vanished Ice Immortalized

Sep 30, 2019 08:30AM

Icelanders unveiled a plaque in an official ceremony in memory of Okjokull Glacier, or Ok Glacier, the first of its kind officially lost to climate change.

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Stop the Amazon Fires: Pressure the United Nations to Act

Sep 18, 2019 01:42PM

The Amazon rainforest is in a critical state of near-collapse with a record number of fires in Brazil this year—twice as many as in 2018—as the Brazilian government allows it to happen.

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Deathly Air Pollution: More Deadly Than Cigarettes

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

New research finds that toxic air is killing more people in Europe than tobacco smoking.

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Breathing Risk: Pollution Rises Across the U.S.

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

Air pollution in general worsened markedly across America between 2015 and 2017, likely due to raising temperatures from climate change.

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Brainy Beasts: Elephants Never Forget—What They Smell

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

Elephants have such sensitive olfactory discrimination that they can determine different amounts of food just by sniffing it.

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Trees Please: Rain Forest Dwindling

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

The Amazon Rain Forest continues to lose habitat for animals and plants by clear cutting practices that add to the burden of climate change.

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Whale Wipe-Out: Record Numbers Starving to Death

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM ● By Rachael Oppy

More than 160 dead gray whales have washed up on the Pacific Coast this year, and scientists estimate that they represent just 10 percent of the total number of the dead.

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Cola Quandary: Companies Urge Vietnam Recycling Plans

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

Suntory Holdings, a giant Japanese beverage company, has joined its rivals Coca-Cola and Nestlé to encourage new recycling strategies to fend off outlawing single-use plastic items.

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Growing Pains: Climate Changes Upend Farming

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

Cultivation throughout the U.S. is becoming more difficult because of unpredictable weather patterns, leading to higher prices and lowered productivity.

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Cetacean Liberation: Canada Bans Captive Sea Mammals

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

Canada’s Parliament recently passed legislation banning the practice of breeding and keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity.

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Sustainable Scrubbing: Tips for Toxin-Free House Cleaning

Aug 30, 2019 08:30AM

Safe and effective non-toxic, green cleaning solutions using natural ingredients that are good for our health and the planet.

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Eco-Camping: Keeping It Earth-Friendly

Aug 15, 2019 11:21PM

We can minimize our impact on nature while still enjoying it by using such strategies as buying tents made of recycled materials, forgoing single-use plastics, and packing our trash out instead of burning it.

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Fluorescent Findings: Artificial Light Tied to Inflammation

Aug 15, 2019 11:19PM

A new study found that fluorescent lights increase inflammation in the tissues and organs of animals.

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Tiny Flossers: Miniature Robots May Become Dental Technicians

Aug 15, 2019 11:19PM

A University of Pennsylvania scientific team has designed microscopic robots that can precisely and non-invasively remove teeth plaque.

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Floating Solar: Catching Some Rays on the Water

Aug 15, 2019 11:19PM

Installing floating solar panels on only a quarter of U.S. manmade reservoirs could generate about 10 percent of national energy needs.

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Bad Air: Pollution Harms Mental and Physical Health

Aug 15, 2019 11:19PM

Air pollution not only shortens lives, it makes psychotic experiences during adolescence more likely, new research shows.

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Moon Rocks: Tectonic Activity Shakes Geologists

Aug 15, 2019 11:18PM

Seismometers deployed by NASA astronauts half a century ago have picked up surprising “moonquakes” on our 4.6-billion-year-old moon.

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Copper Conflict: Opponents Fight Mine in Arizona Desert

Aug 15, 2019 11:18PM

Strong opposition is building against the federal approval of a massive copper mine in the midst of sacred indigenous land in Arizona that would have severe environmental impacts.

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Bagging It: New York State Bans Plastic Bags

Aug 15, 2019 11:18PM

The use of plastic bags in the Empire State—23 billion a year that mostly end up in landfills and waterways—will become illegal in March.

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Coral Care: Reefs to Get Their Day in Court

Aug 15, 2019 11:13PM

To fight the rapid decline of coral species, the Center for Biological Diversity is filing a lawsuit seeking protective action by the federal government under the Endangered Species Act.

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Hot Topic: Farmers Responding to Climate Change

Aug 15, 2019 11:13PM

Interest in regenerative agriculture, which stores more carbon dioxide in the soil, is growing so fast that 250 soil health bills have been introduced in legislative bodies in the last two years.

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Eco-Friendly Outdoor Eating: Save Resources, Reduce Food Waste and More

Jun 28, 2019 11:38AM

It’s eco-wise to fill our picnic basket with bamboo utensils, plant-based bug repellents, sustainable fish and glass containers.

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Dangerous Dozen: Produce to Avoid

Jun 28, 2019 11:38AM

Strawberries head the latest list of the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residues; avocados top the clean list.

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Wonder Weed: Hemp to the Rescue at Detox Sites

Jun 28, 2019 11:38AM

Hemp, the no-buzz industrial variety of cannabis, is cleaning nuclear radiation, cadmium, lead and mercury from toxic sites.

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Action Alert: Greenhouse Gases Hit Landmark

Jun 28, 2019 11:38AM

When carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit the highest levels ever recorded in human history in May, the networks’ nightly news devoted less than two minutes to climate change versus almost 18 minutes to the birth of the royal baby.

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Sunny Solution: Wastewater Turned into Hydrogen Fuel

Jun 28, 2019 11:38AM

A Princeton University team has designed a device that uses sunlight to pull hydrogen from industrial wastewater, which could allow factories to simultaneously treat wastewater and generate fuel.

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Alarm Sounded: Ireland Declares Climate Emergency

Jun 28, 2019 11:38AM

Following the UK governments of Wales and Scotland, the Republic of Ireland has declared a climate emergency that may lead to limits on oil and gas exploration and other measures.

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